Of course, much has been made this Super Bowl week over the fact that Seattle Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch has no interest in speaking with the media. To me, his one word statements and quick comments are not an indictment on him as much as they are on the media. But John, "The media has the right to ask questions- it is called freedom of the press." Stop it. The problem is the fact the media as a whole has ruined what should be a fun time each year. The week before the Super Bowl should be a time of joy for the players and the media alike. The players should be talking about what it means to them to be in the Super Bowl and how proud they are of themselves and their teammates. That does not sell papers or create web hits. Reporters, who in some cases have to go to extensive lengths to receive their media credentials, go to a venue like this trying to be a hero. Since they days of Jimmy Powers defaming Lou Gehrig and the 1940 Yankees by blaming a "Polio Epidemic" that Gehrig had passed on to his teammates, the media has gone out of its way to make athletes feel uncomfortable. Since an ordinary story may not sell as much as a more interesting one, the media has gone to all lengths to try to create a story- even when one does not exist. And you think the players enjoy the agenda that most reporters have? Why is it that the media cannot be given any criticism for the reasons that players do not talk? If there is an understanding that every player should be available to speak during this time, there should also be a code of conduct that the writers and other members of the media should follow. There clearly isn't- if there is, it seems as if the job of the media is to put their toe over the line as far as they can before they go too far. And once they do (and only after they do), they take a step back and acknowledge the fact they may have gone too far... if we are lucky. Most of the time, these mongos don't even do that. Whether a story gets legs because of the seriousness of it (the Patriots deflating footballs, for example) or a reporter sticks a microphone right in the face of a player after they just made the biggest play of their life (Richard Sherman in last year's NFC Title game), the fact of the matter is the simple truths to each story is never enough. The "Media Man" walks around with his notepad, his slanderous questions already written down for him. The "Media Man" goes either into the locker room after the game or to the media room during media week and has his (or her) goal to defame and slander an athlete for the purpose of writing a story. And they will go to all lengths to do it. But the player that chooses not to speak to the media is the one that has the problem? They are the ones not playing fair? Wouldn't you think that if reporters had less of an agenda and were less vicious in their line of questioning that these players would be more open to talking. And if so, I am sure they would hold less back during these interviews/ conversations. What bothers me the most about the media is the fact that they will not hesitate to slander and defame a player, and they think they are doing their job. You are not doing your job if you are reporting something that is not true. That is what bothers the athletes the most. The thought that they could be asked a one-sided question under the agenda that the reporter only knows. And based on their answer, which they are baited or led into, this fictitious or embellished story gets printed or linked to hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions of people. My father taught me that sometimes others perception of you becomes the actual you. When I was younger, I had a difficult time understanding what he meant. Then I experienced a person who did not like me say something about me that was not true. Once I confronted that person, it became my word against theirs. It was up to the public to decide who was telling the truth and who was not. Athletes have to go through this every day, not to mention being treated like they are grade A scum if they were ever to make a mistake. The media shows no remorse. Who cares if you changed the perception of a person forever by making something up? Why would you? Its not like you have to live with the lie or fabrication that was made about the player. If you ever get questioned about it, all you have to say is, "it was an anonymous source." But keep blaming the athletes, the media does no wrong. If the media did no wrong, then why don't players enjoy being interviewed? Why do players try to avoid the media like the plague, or polio? Last spring training, I was in the presence of three former MLB players, all of whom would not speak to me because of the perception I was the media. Though I do not come to find the dirt, an athlete cannot tell the difference between me and the person who intends to be harmful. But, because of Jimmy Powers and the rest of the dirty media, I have a job to do that is more difficult than it has to be. Geez, it is hard enough having to make contacts, tell them about your show and have them become a guest and arrange a time for an interview. Add to it the perception of you that became you. Not because of the way you acted or anything you did, but because of the actions of the others before you. I am proud to separate myself from those in the media, not because I think I am better. But because I do not believe in a career that is involves lying, gossip and slander and making people feel uncomfortable. My job is to teach the game of baseball through its history and my guests. If you are looking for more of the former, I do not think www.johnpielli.com is for you.

In the year of 2014, it is easy to point out some of the foolish stories published in the local papers. A fair assessment can be made that sports writing is not easy. Perhaps a writer gets some information and has to quickly decide whether it is worth publishing a story or if he should stay away from it. It makes sense why a bunch of athletes have a grudge with the media. Many in this profession think it is their job to put a story out, with or without merit. Acts like this have made it difficult for others in the industry to be taken seriously, as athletes are very guarded with what they say, knowing everything they say can and will be used against them in the newspapers. When a writer feels he can just write a story about Mike Piazza being gay off a whim, we know sports writing has taking a dump in the fish tank. Perhaps it is the fact that the writers feel an obligation to their employers to give a story. I know there was a time where a writer reported just the facts sprinkled in with a little bit of what they saw. In the baseball world, that died in the mid to late 1970s where players like former Pittsburgh Pirates LHP Bruce Kison, Seattle Mariners catcher Bob Stinson and Oakland Athletics RHP Rick Langford all have testified that their privacy was being invaded. In addition, all three have stated that stories were written about them that were not true. Because of that, none of the preceding three will ever do another interview. It makes it frustrating for a young writer and/ or radio show host who tries to establish himself from their ability to report and interview. How is one able to tell whether a reporter has good intentions or conversely is looking to slander the athlete just to write the story? Because of these jerk-offs, many writers and radio show hosts try to slip under the "media" labeling. Being labeled a member of the media is becoming an insult. Why would one want to be thrown into the grouping of a bunch of evil-intentioned people who use slander and gossip without ever reporting their sources? I can see why one would not want to be. Odds are, terrible sports writing can be traced to earlier than 1940, but a writer for the New York Daily News named Jimmy Powers went with a silly take on the struggles of the 1940 New York Yankees. While it was true that the team that won 106 games in 1939 when they became the first team in modern day baseball history to win 4 straight World Series Championships (or equivalent Championship Series) was for the most part, in tact for the 1940 season. The team was on their way to an unexpected, but deserved, third place finish behind the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians. However, they finished just two games behind the Tigers with their 88 wins. Still, the team had a down season and the New York sportswriters were all baffled as to why a team that had dominated the American League for the better part of the past 12-13 years had not won games at the same rate. Powers fabricated a story using the sad situation involving Lou Gehrig to try to explain the Yankees struggles. He decided to blame Gehrig and say a "mass polio epidemic" contracted from the legendary Yankees 1B had infected the entire team and was a reason for the team's struggles. Powers had no choice to retract his story after Gehrig and former roommate Bill Dickey filed a lawsuit against Powers and the newspaper. Nothing like putting the fact of needing something to talk about over reporting facts. No wonder Powers has no wikipedia page and is completely irrelevant.